Chinese Takeout
by Wordwielder
Summary: Lindsay visits Hiccup at college bearing Chinese take-out and dusting off snow. Vignette for Volleyball Wars fans.


The snow clumps on the ground, the roofs, the window pane; the sky is streaked with it falling. Hiccup sips his tea and grimaces. "There's no way Chinese is dinner anymore, bud," he says to his black panther, Toothless, who is lying across his bed. 'They'll be calling any minute to tell me they're sorry but I'm not getting any lo Mein. Wonder if this will still be around tomorrow and I won't have to turn in that Biochem paper." Toothless growls, rolling his eyes. "Come on, bud, you know how I am about essays." He sits on the edge on the bed, setting his hot cup on the nightstand next to the picture of him and Lindsay on graduation day. She was kissing his cheek while he grinned at the camera and his father holding it.

Someone knocks. "Delivery," a voice calls.

"Yes!" Hiccup whoops. "Coming. Man I thought you'd be snowed—"

He opens the door to a grinning girl, who is still taller than him, her hair fishtailed, holding two delivery bags of Chinese. "Hey, lovemuffin," she greets. "Intercepted the poor delivery guy outside. Mind?"

He is stunned for a second before he finds his voice.

"Mind! No, come in!" He kisses her. "I can't believe—"

She pushes past him and begins to unpack the bags at his counter. Toothless, hearing the noise and smelling food, clinks in. "Hi, Toothless!" Lindsay cooes, dropping to her knees to pet him. "Ooh, you're still so beautiful! I've missed you, yes I have, both of you! Ah…"

She rises and smiles. "It's so good to see you."

"You saw me last night," he reminds her.

"Yeah, but on Skype I can't do this!" She kisses his nose, her eyelashes dancing in and out of his view.

"Come on, the nose?" He protests. "Such a tease." She proceeds to kiss him properly. "Come on Hiccup, I smell orange chicken."

They eat, and he can't keep his eyes off her. She hasn't been to see him since term started in September on her way up to New York, and she hasn't been in the apartment since he rented it. She glances around and raises her eyebrows. "I can tell you live here, it's a mess." He groans. "Don't worry, I still love you, you slob."

"I'm dying to know…" he starts.

She nods, finishing his sentence in her head. "Columbia's closed until Tuesday because of the snow. It's even worse up there, there's got to be a foot and an half already. It was hell getting out of the city, people are acting nuts driving. I almost got into it with this one guy who cut me off… anyway, the snow and the traffic let up a lot in Jersey, and I just kept coming until I came here and there's a Chinese delivery guy looking at your building like it's going to be karma for spitting in someone's rice. So I told him I was coming up and offered to drop it off." She takes a bite of rice.

Hiccup cocks his head. "Any weekend you could drive down, and you pick the one where it's snowing so much the schools in New York City are canceled?"

She pauses and looks at him, her eyes wide and sweet. "I just looked out the window, thinking about my Shakespeare debate, and all of the sudden I knew I couldn't go another day without being able to see you. In person, where I could touch you and be with you." She ducks her head. "You know?"

"I know," he tells her.

They talk about Hiccup's courses to become an engineer and Lindsay's dual major. He talks about the campus and Boston; her eyes sparkle when she speaks about the city. "It's so big and fast and cultural. There's so many great people and places to hang out and do. And the shopping!"

"Hey, have you talked to Astrid?" He asks. She smiles. "On the way here, actually. Have you?" It wasn't a suspicious question—she trusted him. "Some; her and everyone else too. Well, I heard Snoutlout in the background. Does that count?"

She laughs. "I've talked to him some. He's got some girlfriend now, apparently. "

Hiccup raises an eyebrow. "I doubt it."

"Well, so do I, considering he claims she's a supermodel."

"And the twins?"

"Ruffnut called me, and Tuffnut got in it too, of course. I don't know how they can run the dealership together with the way they fight."

"The grace of God. And fear of their mother." He cracks a fortune cookie. "Astrid seems really happy down in UVA."

She cranes her neck. "Oooh, what's it say?"

''Your girlfriend tries to invade your privacy."'

She swats at him. "What's it really say?"

"'Take opportunities offered to you."'

She opens one. He pokes her. She bats her eyelashes. '"You will meet a tall dark stranger.' Well, sounds like there's some competition for you."

"As if," he snorts. "You drive through a foot and half of snow to 'be with me."'

"Maybe I missed Toothless."

"Maybe you missed _me_."

"Fine, maybe." She kisses him. "Maybe."

He rolls his eyes.

"Fine. I love you. I deal with road rage for you."

"Good," he says.

They watch the snow fall hand in hand.


End file.
